Deadman: Kushna and Kala
by Tyminator
Summary: Boston Brand realizes that fate has other plans when he tries to intervene during a man's suicide


Deadman: Kushna and Kala

Phasing into another person's body is never a pleasant experience. The life force of the subject often tries to fight back against the intruder. The door to the subject's mind could be described as a locked door, with some mental locks being more complex than others. However, even the most difficult locks can be picked.

It is for this reason that Boston Brand considers himself a locksmith of the human body. His abilities to control a human being can only be used once he has fully pried open the door to his subject's body. Some minds do put up a pretty good fight, but never to the extent that Boston is facing now.

"What the hell is going on here?" Boston says to himself, as no one would be able to answer him anyway. "Let me in!"

Boston, clad in a body suit of bright red, minus the white colored "D" logo on his chest desperately tries to hop inside the body of the short, yet stocky man in front of him. His legs phase through the man's chest, but a bright red flash halts Boston's further progress. Both Boston and the man both let out a blood curdling scream of pain as the two collapse on the ground.

"What is happening to me?" the man whimpers as he curls up into a ball. "P-please. Make it stop."

"C'mon," Boston says. "How am I supposed to help you if I can't get in?"

Boston regains his composure enough to assess his surroundings. If Boston was able to feel tangible objects, the wind would be whipping over his pasty white, bald head. He would also be able to feel the skyscraper swaying back and forth underneath his feet. However, Boston Brand is not afforded these luxuries. As a ghostly angel for the goddess Rama Kushna, Boston is forced to roam the planes of existence and help others as needed. Under the moniker of Deadman, from his old circus days, Boston has carried out the will of his spiritual guide in an effort to repent for his past transgressions.

The sobbing man curled up on the ground should be another subject through which Boston can carry out the will of Rama Kushna. That is, if he could break through the mental barrier. Reaching his hand out towards the man, Boston pauses a few inches from his head, as the bright red light once again prohibits his entrance.

Boston shakes his head in confusion.

"Why are you so stubborn, huh? Can't you tell when an undead spirit wants to keep you from becoming a bloody skid mark down there?"

Boston jerks his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing at the ground below. The whimpering man is unfazed, of course, by the invisible and inaudible spirit in front of him.

Most skyscrapers of this size would have some sort of suicide prevention net or fencing to keep people away from the edge of the rooftop. However, Gotham building owners tend to put insurance and safety regulations on the backburner, as it is oftentimes easier and cheaper to pay off an insurance rep than it is to install building renovations. Nothing in between the roof of this building and the ground below would stop a falling body from exploding on the sidewalk.

"Alright, that's it, you wanna play hardball? I can do hardball!"

Boston lunges at the man with his fist cocked behind his shoulder. Boston lets loose with a right hook that would lay out any man had it come from a tangible person. However, all Boston's blow does is leave both parties with another splitting headache.

Boston drops to knees, gasping from the pain.

It is then that the man's attention, which Boston has been desperately trying to attain, turns toward the white-faced spirit.

"Boston Brand," the man says.

"Whoa, now you can see me?"

"Do not be foolish, Boston Brand." The man's eyes began to glow bright red. "It is I, Rama Kushna. You must leave this man to his vices."

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm supposed to let this guy off himself?"

"An agreement has been reached, Boston Brand."

Boston stands, disgruntled. He folds his arms and raises an eyebrow. "With who?"

"This man has led himself down a destructive path for far too long. His insistence on pumping his body full of opiates, ending his relationships in violent manners, and becoming involved with the vilest of criminal organizations in Gotham City have attracted the attention of Kala. The god of fate has laid claim to his soul after his death. Kala himself has requested that you simply allow this man to die."

"That is not acceptable!" Boston yells, shoving his finger in the face of the man/Rama. "There is no such thing as fate, I'm living proof of that."

"Do not be so sure, Boston Brand. Your fate has ultimately been in the hands of Kala. Until now."

"What do you mean… Until now?"

The man pulls himself to his feet and begins to pace back and forth as Rama Kushna continues to tell her tale.

"The agreement," Rama says. "You leave this man to the hands of Kala and his fate… While your fate becomes mine alone."

Boston opens his mouth to speak, but then falls silent. His head drops as he decides what to say to the goddess pacing in front of him.

"You… you can't just-"

"You dare tell Rama Kushna what I can and cannot do?" Rama bellows, as the man's red eyes narrow and grow brighter. "It is I alone who dared ask Kala to spare you from death. It is I alone who offered you a chance at repentance. I have worked side by side with Kala for all of existence, and I will not be questioned by my disciple. Especially one whose future is now held in my grasp!"

"I never asked for you to save me!" Boston replies.

"Yet here you are," Rama Kushna says.

"You told me to help people wherever I find them. This man needs my help. His fate is not sealed!"

"Boston Brand, you cannot fathom the power of Kala," Rama says as she turns to face Boston, still in the man's body. "The deal has been made. His fate is sealed."

With those final words, the man's red eyes flash once more, as Rama sprints towards the edge of the roof and hurls the man's body into the abyss.

"No!" Boston yells, diving for the edge. His trajectory takes him over the edge and into a downward arc after the goddess-controlled man. He tries to reach his hand's forward, but the effort is futile, as he is not making up any ground.

"Rama!" he yells.

The man twists around in mid-air, locking eyes with Boston. A slight smile forms, then disappears as Rama Kushna's red eyes vanish. The man is instantly stricken with fear, as he snaps out of his trance and realizes the predicament which he is in. Boston can only watch in horror as the terrified man slams into the concrete sidewalk below.

Boston stops his flight a few feet from the victim and drops his head in defeat.

"I won't forget this, Rama. I won't."

Boston turns and flies off into the dark Gotham night. With his fate now in the hands of Rama Kushna, he wonders if he will ever be free from the servitude for which has been forced into. The hands of fate have dealt him a defeat on his journey tonight, and he wonders if victory is even achievable.

Could the future be changed? Or is the path that one walks forever ingrained into their soul? These thoughts occupy Deadman's mind as the dark clouds clear up above the skies of Gotham, revealing a bright, full moon. The moonlight silhouettes the skyscraper behind Boston as a dark, ominous tomb.


End file.
